SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
Remember that we use a singular verb for a singular subject
When you are writing an essay, you must try to edit and reduce the number of errors. One of the areas where students make the most mistakes is Subject and Verb Agreement.
Example 1:
The boy is playing basketball in school. (The subject - boy - is singular, so use 'is')
The boys are playing basketball in school. (The subject- boys - is plural, so use 'are'
Example 2:
The girl has gone home.
The girls have gone home. (When the subject is plural, we use 'have')
Example 3:
Susan was given two days to complete her work.
The children were given two days to complete their work.
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks below, using one of the verbs in brackets.
My father love/loves to tinker around the house. Yes, he is/are the do-it-yourself type of father. Whenever I need/needs something done, I can always count/counts on him. Once, when I needed a bookshelf, he knocked one into place in just one afternoon. Whenever there is/are anything wrong around the house, he is/are the first to volunteer his service. From the kitchen, to the living room, it is/are difficult to find something that father hasn’t/haven’t tried to repair. Our living room is/are a testimony of his skills and creativity. A broken lamp, sit/sits prettily on a restored coffee table. A magazine rack hold/holds all our favourite magazines on another corner. Of course, he thinks/think that he is/are the best handyman in town. However, my mother disagree/disagrees with his opinion. She think/thinks that he has/have done more harm than good. She claims/claim that he has/have broken more electrical appliances than anyone she has/have ever known. Neither I nor my siblings agree/agrees with her.
